AOC: Working with the Wheel of Change

03Mar07

The Wheel of Change Model [wheel-for-orgs.pdf] asks that you take into careful consideration:

1. perceptions-emotions-beliefs which we call Inner Work
Shifting the way we think and feel; the inner motivations that guide the way we behave.

2. behavior which we call Behavior Change
Shifting the many actions that make up the lives of individuals and groups; learning to make different choices about what we do or don’t do, about what we say or don’t say.

3. external “reality” which we call Outer Work
Changing the systems, structures and processes that make up our environment.

Many change efforts, large and small, have limited success due to the failure to attend to all three elements of the wheel. Current reality is a self-reinforcing system of these three domains. Unattended parts of the wheel, over time, like a rubber band tend to pull things back to their original homeostasis, eroding our efforts to change any one or two aspect of the system.

Some typical examples:
1. Our team goes to an off-site. We experience what feel like breakthroughs in trust and communication, we make commitments to remember the spirit we’re feeling and communicate better with each other. Two months later, things are back to where they started (or worse, because people may feel even more disheartened because of people’s failure to keep their agreements). The problem: no substantive changes were made in the structures and processes of the organization that might have supported the sincere goodwill with which people returned from the retreat. Promises of new behavior were lost in the relentless tide of work.

2. Management wants to create a shift in staff behavior, for example, higher performance standards. The focus is on training in new behaviors, and changing performance management systems: closer supervision, new methods of evaluation, etc. However, underlying problems in the inner life of the organization, namely lack of alignment on purpose and vision, and a deep mistrust of management by many staff, are not directly addressed. The investment of time and money basically has little or no impact on performance.

3. The organization invests large amounts of money into revamping information systems to improve communication flow within the organization. But insufficient time and attention is given to training staff in other behaviors that impact the skillful utilization of these systems, and a deeper problem with competition between departments is completely ignored.

4. An example from an individual change effort would be:
Someone makes a personal commitment to take better care of their body after repeated physical difficulties exacerbated by lack of exercise. But their efforts to follow-through are undermined by unexamined personal beliefs around self-sacrifice, and a failure to make changes in their external environment that might have supported their efforts at behavior change (for example, getting extended childcare to allow them to go to the gym after work; or engaging an exercise buddy to support them in their sometime sporadic commitment).

Important note in working with the Wheel:
The 5 sub-categories in each section of the three sections wheel are neither compulsory nor comprehensive. These are meant to serve as examples of the possible work to be done in each part of the wheel, but you do not have to engage with all 5, and you may discover other elements of inner work, behavioral work, or outer work.

In conclusion:
We understand that doing change work (especially with teams and organizations) can be like trying to change the tires on your car while traveling 60 miles per hour. Life is often beautifully messy and unpredictable, and in these times of accelerated change, finely detailed plans may prove to be amusing /frustrating failed attempts to control reality. However, by not attending to all three domains in the wheel, we can be pretty sure that our efforts will be less than fully successful.

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